Noiseshaper is back with new music, bringing their classic dub sound into a fresh comeback.
Soon, Noiseshaper will release their highly anticipated new album, Welcome The Unknown, featuring their latest discovery Simple Straw and soul singer Jackie Deane, whose unmistakable voice is already familiar to fans. The album’s lyrics tackle themes from climate change to social inequality and love in its various forms. Simple Straw describes the new album as “pure positivity”.
The album features a special appearance by Bernard Fowler, best known as The Rolling Stones’ longtime backing vocalist. He has also collaborated with the On-U Sound label, notably working with the band Tackhead. The song Silk Sheets reinvents his early club hit Don’t Make Me Wait, fusing its essence with Noiseshaper’s signature dub-house vibe.
With a spirit that bridges soulful introspection and dub-fueled defiance, Welcome The Unknown promises to be a sound journey—one that reflects Noiseshaper’s undying commitment to pushing boundaries and creating music that resonates.
Vienna Beginnings
Axel Hirn and Florian Fleischmann’s fateful meeting in Vienna’s 1990s music scene sparked a journey that would take their beats far beyond Austria. As members of the Big Beat collective Cheap Tracks, Axel (keyboards) and Flo (drums) shared the stage with Clemens Handler on bass and Bruno Mounikou on guitar, electrifying Vienna’s club scene. But the real evolution began in 1998, when Flo headed to Germany, fueled by a hunger for fresh horizons.
Berlin: Where It All Came Together
Landing in Berlin, the throbbing nucleus of European subculture, Flo quickly found his footing. As the mastermind behind Berlin’s iconic Bass Research nights at Pfefferberg, he was soon crafting beats on his newly acquired MPC drum machine. When Axel visited, the two traded tracks in what became the first steps toward a bold new project: a sonic journey rooted in dub.
A Unique Sound Emerges
In their smoke-shrouded Berlin home studio, Noiseshaper came to life with Axel and Flo deep in experimental creation. Their first album, Prelaunch Sequence, unveiled a hypnotic dub fusion of 1970s reggae vibes layered over the edgy electronic undercurrents of Berlin’s scene. With pulsating basslines and driving beats, Noiseshaper had emerged—a genre-blending project that drew from reggae, dub, and electronica.
International Buzz and Recognition
Noiseshaper’s 2001 debut on Different Drummer, Prelaunch Sequence, quickly made waves, with tracks like The Only Redeemer securing a spot on Richard Blackwell’s Palm Pictures in the U.S. By 2003, they followed up with The Signal, whose soulful anthem All A Dem A Do garnered play across independent radio stations in Europe, the U.S., Australia, and New Zealand, establishing the duo on the global stage.
“Like many new artists dabbling in the irie roots of Babylon, Noiseshaper use reggae as their base and seamlessly blend elements of dub, raga, dancehall, house and electronica into a rich stew.”
– Lindsay Davis, Dominion Post
Career Highlights
In the years that followed, Noiseshaper headlined venues across Germany, Austria, and Switzerland. But a career-defining moment awaited them at the UK’s Big Chill festival, where the duo brought their sound back to the roots of European dub and reggae. It was here that they found a new level of resonance with audiences, a milestone that affirmed their unique voice in the genre.
A Political Pulse
With their third album, Rough Out There, Noiseshaper took a bold political turn. Birmingham based MC Juggla, with his resonant voice and Rastafarian-inspired lyrics, brought messages of social justice to the forefront. Balancing the fiery reggae elements with the soulful track Walking, sung by Jackie Deane, the album reflected a deeper, edgier sound. Even reggae legend Dennis Bovell joined, playing bass on several tracks, infusing the album with gravitas.
Remixes, Hollywood, and Worldwide Acclaim
Their distinct sound earned them remix requests from heavyweights like Sly and Robbie and OutKast, and they soon found themselves on major Hollywood soundtracks like The Dukes of Hazzard, Disturbia, and Solitary Man. With this, Noiseshaper’s sound was unmistakably etched into the dub and electronic music scenes.
‘Real To Reel’: A Landmark Collaboration
The 2006 compilation Real To Reel brought a new pinnacle in Axel and Flo’s career. Adrian Sherwood, the visionary architect of modern dub, lent his remixing prowess to the album, polishing their sound with his iconic touch.
“And that brings us back to the title of this album: where others have to constantly assert their “realness”, Axel and Flo simply are “real”. And as Noiseshaper they capture this on tape: From Real to Reel.”
– Andreas Müller (Admiral Tuff), Radio 1
A Last Album and a Fading Beat
Three years down the line, Satellite City arrived, though it met a more muted response despite dancefloor standouts like We Rock It. The album’s more subdued reviews may have stemmed from the band’s unexpected forays into blues and a noticeable shift away from their reggae roots. Rick Anderson noted in an article: ‘Satellite City is generally dark and at times almost oppressive.’
The band’s journey quieted down.
The Long Break
Axel relocated to London to work as an engineer at the iconic On-U Sound studio and Flo tried his hand in Berlin’s culinary scene, opening his own restaurant. Both settled into family life, eventually finding their way back to Vienna.
Reunion
By 2019, the release of King Size Dub Special: Noiseshaper and Paolo Baldini Dubfiles Meets Noiseshaper rekindled the band’s spark. Reuniting with their former bassist Clemens Handler, the three of them began producing fresh material, giving fans a glimpse of the new chapter with the EP Listen To The Sound in 2023. Tracks like Rock Your Bone, featuring Jamaican singer Simple Straw, and a remix of Horace Andy’s Skylarking signaled a revitalized sound.